Sorry my post is late, guys! I got so wrapped up with editing photos from this weekend’s wedding, that I completely forgot! But, I’m ready and roaring today! If you remember from last week’s post, I had no idea what I was going to do for this week. Today was no different! I racked my brain, and I finally just decided I would do floral bouquets. So, for next week if you have any special requests or input on what my topic should be, please let me know! If you’re planning a wedding and there is a specific thing you need help budgeting, I want to hear about it because I can help!

Anyway, flowers. Flowers are expensive!! I mean, rightly so. It takes your floral designer hours with you to plan the bouquet and get the finalized details. First it’s anemones, then it’s roses, nope…maybe ranunculus…before you finally settle back on roses. Once assembly time hits, it takes hours to assemble. Let’s not even mention the fact that they have to order and stock, do inventory, pay people’s paychecks, rent…the list goes on & on. So, you’re not just paying for flowers. You’re paying for expertise and a professional who knows what they are doing. And let’s face it, Saturdays are VALUABLE and this person is giving up part of their Saturday to get your flowers to you without a hitch so you can have these gorgeous babies that everybody will be talking about for days.

However, with all that said…I don’t blame you for wanting to figure out some ways to save your pennies when it comes to flowers, so I’m going to help by sharing some of my ideas.

#1. Choose flowers from ONE color family. Let’s say peach. So many flowers come in peach. You can choose roses, carnations, lilies, peonies, daisies, ranunculus, callas, hydrangeas, the list goes on & on. By choosing a monochromatic color scheme you can mix many of the less expensive flowers in with your bouquet and no one will know the difference. It will still be beautiful, just at a much lower price point. Add to the fact that monochromatic wedding color schemes are so beautiful, and you have a perfect money saving idea. Chatting with your florist, they should be able to help you choose the less expensive buds. If you feel the prices are still outside of your budget, ask another florist for a second opinion. You may be surprised at what you find.

#2. This next one I think is stunning. Some people may disagree, but personally I feel that this looks SO romantic and not cheap at all. Especially in photos, these look so beautiful. BABY’S BREATH. Get a nice, giant bouquet of baby’s breath and saunter down the aisle knowing that you just spent about $15 on your gorgeous floral bouquet. You also don’t see this done very often, so you can be a trend setting bride as well. Even if you’re not on a budget, I think this is a great idea. If you’d like, you can even add tiny white buds to your bouquet to add a little bit of visual interest. This is definitely something I would consider doing, without a doubt!

#3. Let’s say you’re planning a fall wedding, you really want something fall’ish or even something inexpensive for your ‘maids. Add a few pinecones to your bouquet, but then have your ladies walk down with bouquets of pinecones. Sounds strange, and honestly I didn’t think anyone would have done it when I searched for it, but it seems that some people do think like me and have done it. And it’s surprisingly so much prettier than I had expected. When I had the vision of pinecones in my head I almost laughed at myself…but, done right this one CAN be pulled off, and well!

#4. Sticking on the track of non-traditional floral bouquets, let’s take a trip to French country. The French do everything with a romantic flare and penchant for sweet & soft, and just a little bit country. With bridal trends still sticking with the rustic and outdoors vibes, this next bouquet fits in perfectly and will be guaranteed not to break the bank. French lavender is also very pungent and aromatic, not to mention calming and soothing. Feel a little stress coming on during the big day, stick that gorgeous bouquet under your nose, take some deep breaths through your nose and count to 10. Your bouquet has just pulled double duty and helped calm & relax you. Not to mention, looked very chic and trendy while saving you your precious dollars you can put toward an actual honeymoon in the South of France. You can thank me later.

#5. Last, but definitely not least: BE CREATIVE. With so many brides now, using various different beautiful and heartfelt ideas for wedding bouquets, the sky really is the limit. Do you and your husband to be have a favorite book you love? Make a floral bouquet out of the pages of that book. Grandma’s brooches can make a gorgeous statement added to your bouquet, or do an entire bouquet of brooches and ask your family members to donate one or two that are special to them. Make fabric flowers from clothing of relatives who cannot be with you that day because they’re no longer with us. This works especially well if it’s your father, grandfather, mother, grandmother, etc. Getting married near Christmas? Arrange a bouquet with Christmas ornaments. There are so many things you can do to make your day special and unique while on a budget, and no one will be the wiser. All it takes is a bit of creativity.

Far too often, when we’re told or even when we KNOW we are on a budget, we have a difficult time in coming up with ideas that will help us save money. We get wrapped up with, “I can’t do this, it’s impossible,” syndrome. Instead of thinking about all of the times we’ve been resourceful when we’ve really had to. We’ve all had those moments where we were stuck in a hard spot and had to make it up as we go along. Planning a wedding on a budget is no different. All you truly need to do is think about who you are, who your husband is, what you mean to one another, and what the special parts are about your relationship. Pull all of those things together, and you’re going to have a wedding people will be talking about for years to come. Just because you’re on a budget doesn’t mean your day cannot be special and memorable. As always, I am leaving my door open to you. If you have questions on how to make your budget stretch, I am here for you! Just a message away! Until next week, enjoy planning and thanks for tuning in!